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Happy Valentine’s Day Week of February 13, 2012

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Anchor Graphic // Tyler Williams Vol. 84, Issue #20

The Anchor

February 13, 2012

This Week in Anchor History

Editors

Water problems plague campus

1994

Editor-in-Chief

Beyond the icy walkways and clogged parking lots, the college community found itself dealing with water problems of a different sort. The college was forced to shut off the water to most of the campus, including the dormitories, at 11 a.m. following an underground water pipe bursting on the west side of the Art Center. The assistant vice president for administration and finance said that repair crews were able to put a sleeve on the pipe, allowing for the water to be turned back on around 1:30 p.m. that same day. The college also faced a separate water-related incident where several classes were relocated from Horace Mann to the Rec. Center due to roof leakage.

Business Manager

Edward Taylor content@anchorweb.org

Mandy Wray Dion business@anchorweb.org

News Editor Katelyn Hurd news@anchorweb.org

By Andrew Stewart, Anchor Staff

Lifestyles Editor

On Tuesday, Feb. 7, a cartoon advocating anti-Jewish and anti-integration attitudes was found posted in Donovan Dining Center. The cartoon was originally published on vanguardnewsnetwork.com, which calls itself the “Uncensored News for Whites.” One version of the poster featured the VNN’s slogan, “No Jews. Just Right.” The cartoon showed a column representing Jewish influence on the media, claiming that if the pillar falls, racial mixing, integration and other “evils” will be destroyed also. “I knew it could happen, but I was still surprised when it did,” Samuel Poku Jr. of OASPA said.

Alexandra Weston lifestyles@anchorweb.org

Opinions Editor

Campus Climate Wednesday P. Cloudy High 47° Low 30°

Thursday M. Cloudy High 47° Low 38°

Saturday P. Cloudy High 45° Low 26°

General Information 401.456.8280 info@anchorweb.org Editor-in-Chief 401.456.8790 editorinchief@anchorweb.org Advertising 401.456.8544 ads@anchorweb.org Fax 401.456.8792

LEGAL STUFF

The Anchor is student-run and published weekly during the academic year. Editorial decisions for The Anchor are made by a majority vote of its student editorial board. No form of censorship will be imposed by the college. Any material found to be unsuitable or unacceptable in the board’s opinion will not be published. The views expressed in The Anchor, unless otherwise noted, are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent those of The Anchor or of Rhode Island College’s faculty, administration or student body. The Anchor is not funded by and is independent from Rhode Island College. The first copy is free. Each additional copy is $2.25. Newspaper racks on the Rhode Island College campus are the property of The Anchor Newspaper. Only The Anchor Newspaper publication will be permitted on these racks. Any other publication or advertisement that is placed on the racks will be given one (1) warning for violating this policy. After two (2) violations, the business/publication will be billed at the rate of a full page advertisement. Copyright © 2012 The Anchor. All rights reserved.

Sports Editor Jack Adamo sports@anchorweb.org

Advertising Manager

Photography Editor

Graphics Editor Tyler Williams graphics@anchorweb.org

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Asst. Copy Editor

Nicholas J. Lima copy@anchorweb.org

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CONTACT US

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If you are in a student organization and would like to have an event covered, please contact managing@anchorweb.org.

A&E Editor

Jonathan Lamantia opinions@anchorweb.org

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Friday Showers High 47° Low 29°

Personnel

Managing Editor Content

Supremacy Campaign causes outcry

Tuesday M. Cloudy High 45° Low 30°

Managing Editor

George Bissell Samantha Mandeville editorinchief@anchorweb.org personnel@anchorweb.org

By John Valerio, Executive Editor

2006

2

Layout Editor Saul Lopez layout@anchorweb.org

Web Manager

Laura Horton Aaron Buckley technology@anchorweb.org webmaster@anchorweb.org

Staff Rashaa Al-Sasah, Sam Allen, Dan Charest, AJ Clark, Hillary Costa, Christian Decataldo, Sarah Gilpatrick, Justin Goslant, Deidre Green, Timothy Hordern, Stephanie Jobin, Sydney Katic, Mikaela Kennedy, Rob Lefebvre, Matthew Leo, Arielle Rogers, Robert Santurri, Ashley St. Louis, Frank Wellington, Courtney Woods

Contributors Andrew Augustus, Kelly Beshara-Flynn, Peter Hoey, Joelle Jacinthe, Ashley Massotti, Heather Nichols, Geoff Riccio

Circulation Manager Adam Chapasko opinions@anchorweb.org

Faculty Advisor Lloyd Matsumoto lmatsumoto@ric.edu

Professional Advisors Doug Hadden Jim Hummel Jim Vickers

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February 13, 2012

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SCG holds resident life Town Hall Meeting to discuss problems for RIC students Last Wednesday, newly elected Student Community Government, Inc. Vice President George Bissell hosted the first Town Hall Meeting of the semester.

The open forum for stuBy Hillary Costa dents was held in Weber Hall Anchor News Writer Lounge to address residential life concerns on campus. Even with a small turnout, Bissell, who is also Editor-in-Chief of The Anchor, was able to keep the almost two-hour meeting on track and constructive. Topics ranged from College Dining Services to security and safety issues within residential housing. With Dean of Students Scott Kane, Vice President for Student Affairs Gary Penfield, and most of SCG’s Executive Council present, many questions and concerns were addressed right at the meeting.

Those questions that weren’t immediately answered were forwarded to newly elected Deputy Speaker Thomas Lima, who as chair of the Conditions and Services Committee will follow up with the RIC administration on students’ concerns.

“Obviously, turnout is really small. So think of this as a brainstorming session,” Bissell told the crowd of about 25, most of who were Parliament representatives, hall directors and resident assistants.

A topic that really struck a nerve with many in attendance was the faculty advisor-student relationship on campus regarding the selection of courses and guidance through their higher education endeavors. Senior Resident Assistant Tim Valton got the discussion rolling in conveying grievances he hears from the students he advises in the dorms.

“The education department is frustrating,” said Valton.

“We want advisors to pay attention to resident concerns.”

Resident students have a dining service that closes relatively early; thus, when faced with attending a late-night class, they miss the opportunity to eat dinner.

Another overall grievance from resident students and commuters alike was the overall lack of consistency regarding the availability of high-level courses. Students felt as if they were told a course was offered in specific semesters, and then when the time would come where it was convenient for them to take it, the course was nowhere to be found on RIConnect.

A common theme during the Town Hall Meeting was

that students felt the mandatory advising program yielded hit-or-miss results. It was expressed that one-sentence email responses and apathy were common among studentfaculty advisor relationships, rather than true guidance in the planning of an academic career. The Executive Council of SCG was appreciative that students took the initiative to bring up these academic issues.

“There’s a sense of apathy on the part of some faculty who don’t take the mandatory advising process seriously,” said Rep. Nicholas Lima. “And ultimately that means 100 percent of students aren’t really getting the advising they need to graduate on time, which was one of the program’s goals.”

“I hope that the new gen. ed. program will help the connection between students and faculty,” said President Travis Escobar, referring to the new general education program being enacted for incoming freshmen in the fall.

With the new general education curriculum, freshmen will have small, intimate seminars with faculty, such as a “College 101” course, providing not only a better transitional period, but also a more desirable starting point in their college careers.

Keeping with the residential life focus, Escobar brought the attention of the meeting to a recurring request from many resident students regarding staying on campus during Spring Break. Thorp Hall Director Thomas Kelley explained what would have to occur for such a change to come to fruition.

To be implemented, RAs and other support staff, who are contracted to have the week off, would have to be kept on during the break. Operation hours of campus services would have to be altered among the administration and various departments. The feeling was that such an initiative could be feasible, but take considerable time and effort on behalf of many parties on campus to be realized.

Finally, the meeting content found itself on the subject of the stalled Student Union expansion project.

Resident student grievances revolved around centralizing and expanding student support services on campus. Rep. Nicholas Lima and Escobar each stressed that resident students should be at the forefront of pushing for a new, bigger Student Union. “[The new Student Union] could potentially solve a lot of issues,” Valton said. “This Student Union will bring so much life to this campus.”

The next Student Parliament meeting will be held Wednesday, Feb. 15 in Parliament Chambers, SU 307.

UPCOMING EVENTS Just Sustainabilities: Re-imagining (E)quality, Living Within Limits

Feb. 16

4 p.m.

Fogarty Life-Science 050 Julian Agyeman is a professor

Tufts University, Boston-Medford. He is co-originator of the concept of “just sustainabilities,” the integration of social/spatial jusctice and sustainabilities.

Feb. 16

5 to 6:30 p.m.

Henry Barnard 214

Computer Science Talk

Demonstration and talk by Ralph Morelli, Trinity College, and Chinma Uche, Hartford Academy of Mathematics and Science: “Teaching Computer Science by Programming SmartPhone Applications with App Inventor.”

Feb. 16

Film: “Precious”

4 p.m.

Adams Library, Reinhardt Room

Precious

is an illiterate teenager abused by her

parents and pregnant with her second child, but things change when she is accepted into an alternative school and gets a chance to start over.

Feb. 16

So You Think You Know Black History?

7 to 8:30 p.m.

Student Union Ballroom

Game show with cash prizes: First prize $100, second prize $50, third prize $25.

Hint: familiarity with African American History Month programming could mean a better chance of winning.

Feb. 20

11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Student Union Ballroom

Anchor Photo // Stephanie Jobin

and chair of urban

and environmental policy and planning at

In

honor of the

BLOOD DRIVE in Perspective: Dr. Charles Drew (1904-1950)

African American

inventor of

the modern blood banking process that revolutionized blood procurement and saved the lives of countless soldiers during

II. The R.I. Blood Center

World War

is the only source

of blood products for the state’s hospitals and relies solely on volunteer donations. your sleeve and save a life! small

From

left,

Deputy Speaker Thomas Lima, Vice President George Bissell and Secretary Kyla Pecchia at the Town Hall Meeting in Weber Hall Lounge last Wednesday.

Free

Papa John’s

Roll

up

coupon for a

pizza for donors.

Save the date!

News to you

February 13, 2012

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Courtesy // r3zn8d.wordpress.com

RIC professor explains the dangers to his students

Imagine going to take a sip of tap water, then looking down into your glass only to realize the water is strangely opaque and brown. Or even worse, imagine turning your sink on, only for it to burst into flames. These fears aren’t

By Katelyn Hurd News Editor just stories, but realities for thousands of Americans – all a result of a process known as hydraulic fracking.

Hydraulic fracking is a process making it possible to drill 8,000 feet into the ground to obtain natural gas. It is relatively new, and has caused turmoil for many. The process shoots over 596 different chemicals into the earth, known as fracking fluid. Each fracking operation uses between 4,000 and 7,000 gallons of chemicals each time a well is fracked. The process is like a mini earthquake, using between 4 and 7 million gallons of water during each frack, and 70 percent of fracking fluid remains underground and is not biodegradable.

The problem with the drilling is the effects it has on the citizens who live near the fracking wells. In many stories, the water of the wells of citizens have been

polluted by the excess chemicals from the fracking water, yet many oil companies deny this relationship.

“It’s frightening really,” said Paul Robinson, an anthropology professor at RIC. “We keep warm for the next few years, but we have polluted water for thousands.”

Robinson teaches his “Anthropology of Indigenous People” class, a Core 4 about fracking because he explains it is important for students to know about, and it ties into the course. He explains he’s trying to teach his class that traditional Native Americans look at the long term, acting carefully about what they do to the land. He said that “once upon a time,” land wasn’t viewed as property or something which could be sold.

“Shattering the bedrock, which is the bones of Mother Earth, would be appalling,” said Robinson.

On the eastern side of the country, people are at least asked before the drilling begins if they would like to allow the fracking to happen. In the western states, gas companies just show up anywhere. Property owners only own what’s on the surface. In many cases there is just a thin line between what’s residential and what’s for drilling, and it could happen in anyone’s backyard.

During one of his classes, Robinson showed students a film called “Gas Land,” created by Josh Fox, who exposed the personal effects of fracking. Fox received a knock on the door, granting him $100,000 to lease the land and allow oil to be drilled, which inspired his journey around the country.

“If we pollute the water there’s nothing left,” said Robinson. “I think the movie ‘Gas Land’ shows that.”

The film shows many citizens with intense headaches and animals suffering from their hair falling out. In extreme cases, such as that of Amy Ellsworth, her water was so contaminated it could be lit on fire with a match.

“No one should have to go through what we go through,” Ellsworth said to Fox in an interview.

Those who

Fracking Q & A Should I be alarmed about fracking happening near me?

There isn’t much alarm locally – the gas line does not occur in Rhode Island, so we are safe from fracking. Fracking happens in America in 34 out of the 50 states, and occasionally in Canada, due to our high demand for oil. The closest the process occurs to us currently is in Pennsylvania, and New York may join in on the monopoly by the end of this year.

What is being done to stop fracking from continuing?

When the Bush administration signed the Clean Air and Water Act of 2005, fracking was exempt from the bill.

Currently floating around Congress for a third time is the FRAC Act, but it is not likely to get anywhere this time around, either. The proposed law would require energy companies to disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, closing a loophole that exempts drilling operators from complying with the Safe Drinking Water Act. couldn’t tell there was a problem with their water and proceeded to drink it possibly suffered brain damage and lesions. In some cases, many lost their sense of smell or taste. Fox exposed that they were drinking Gycolthers, the odorless, colorless, main chemical component which makes up plastic.

Fracking is not only polluting ground water, it has many negative effects on the air. When cleaning up all the extra fracking water, the water is sprayed into the air to evaporate. This toxic method causes the submission of chemicals into the environment and becomes acid rain.

Robinson not only teaches his class about the Native Americans and how they lived, he compares it to critical events that shape our world today, and opens his student’s eyes to discover the way we live today has permanent and damaging effects.

“We seem to be a society composed of thousands of people just individually pursuing,” said Robinson. “How does that affect our community?”

Anchor Graphic // Tyler Williams

The damage of hydraulic fracking

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February 13, 2012

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The bloodshed continues

World indecisive while Syrian death toll rises

As thousands continue to be killed in the protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russia and China prevented a U.N. resolution aiding in a regime change in Syria.

By Kyle Grant The protests against Anchor Editor al-Assad began in March 2011 during the Arab Spring revolts, when millions of Syrians took to the streets in peaceful protests. The purpose of the demonstrations was to have the autocratic al-Assad step down and dismantle his corrupt regime, which had been in power since 2000.

Bashar took power after his father, Hafez al-Assad, who began his rule in 1979. Hafez became notorious for ruthlessly smothering any and all opposition, killing anyone who dared oppose his regime. While Bashar was than merciful than his father, he remained corrupt and restricted the rights of the Syrian people.

At first, the Syrian government responded to the protest by allowing certain concessions, such as the lifting of emergency law, general amnesty and tax cuts.

However, as the Syrian protests continued to press the end of Bashar’s regime, the government responded with violence.

Many large cities in Syria have deteriorated to warzones, with Bashar using snipers and tanks to quell protesters. While these demonstrations were civil and

non-violent, al-Assad accused these demonstrators as being “terrorists.” Since last March, The U.N. claims that over 7,000 protesters have died, 15,000 injured, and 6080,000 imprisoned indefinitely.

Over 300 of these deaths occurred in the last week, after the Syrian government began using missile strikes against demonstrators in the city of Homs.

Despite the dangers, however, hundreds of thousands of Syrians still protest the government on a daily basis.

While many nations have condemned the Syrian government for their human rights violations, no serious consequences have been sanctioned on the nation. The Arab League has led the way in hoping to force al-Assad to step down.

Last week, the plan developed by the Arab League was brought forward to the United Nations. In order for any tentative plan to be put into action, the U.N. Security Council, made up of 15 nations, had to vote and pass the resolution. The Security Council is the committee that can decide to use harsh sanctions or even military intervention in Syria.

Last year, The Security Council voted to use military intervention against Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi after his horrendous human rights violations, disabling the tyrant’s air and armored forces. The resolution would give the U.N. similar power in Syria.

However, the resolution did not pass through the Security Council due to a double veto brought on by Russia and China. The Russians claim that the resolution

was biased, and that the U.N. would be taking sides in a political civil war, and the Chinese are wary of military intervention after the ousting of Gadhafi.

The veto of these two countries blocked the possibility of the resolution going through, continuing the devastation in Syria without any global intervention.

“I am disgusted,” American Ambassador Susan Rice told the Huffington Post. “Any further bloodshed that flows will be on their hands.”

Rice’s sentiment on Russia and China are consistent across the globe, with emotions of outrage and disgust running high across the United Nations.

Despite a united front being thwarted by the double-veto, nations are nonetheless working together to stop further bloodshed. The Arab League, seeing the widespread support it has to end the rule of al-Assad, is continuing its plan to oust the Syrian tyrant. The United States will lead the way in restricting arms brought to Syria, and helping peaceful Syrian protesters have their demands met.

However, despite the work of individual nations, a united force against the human rights violations committed by the Syrian government is still unseen. Supporters of democracy are still working on ending the regime of Al-Assad, but after the veto of Russia and China one must wonder how many innocent people must die until this vision can be reality.

World News Reform in education

Change in Obama’s contraception rule

Thursday, Feb. 9, President Obama granted 10 states relief from the strictest requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, which was created under the Bush administration in 2002. Obama said the grant combines “greater freedom with greater responsibility.” That freedom is provided in the form of a waiver, releasing the states from having to meet education targets – which have been stated as too rigid and impossible to meet – including one key provision that required all students at public schools to be proficient in math and reading by 2014.

Pressure from Catholic leaders and politicians lead the White House to tweak contraception coverage mandates in the Affordable Care Act last Friday.

Conservatives disagree with Obama’s decision to require insurance companies to cover birth control. Now, rather than require large religious institutions like Catholic colleges and hospitals to provide employees with free health insurance coverage for contraception, insurance companies themselves will have to pick up the tab.

“

Ten of the 11 states that applied for waivers in the first round were successful. Applications from Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee were approved, with New Mexico being the only one that was declined. Goals have already been set by states that received approval. Massachusetts is aiming to cut the number of under-performing students in half over the next six years.

Florida has set a goal to have its test scores rank among the top five states in the country.

“

We fought for this because it saves lives and it saves money. As we move to implement this rule, however, we’ve been mindful that there’s another principle at stake here.

That’s the principle of religious liberty.

– Obama to Time magazine

“

“

If you’re willing to set higher, more honest standards than the ones that were set by No Child Left Behind, then we’re going to give you the flexibility to meet those standards.

– President Barack Obama

Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell both pledged to overturn insurance coverage of birth control, along with more than 150 members of Congress oppose the rule this week alone. Pro-choice Democrats and Republicans are weighing in with leaders in Congress, urging them not to repeal the mandate. Administration officials claim that providing birth control would actually save insurers money they would spend on unintended pregnancies.

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February 13, 2012

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Jonathan Lamantia, president of the Political Science Club, hosted his own Political Science Colloquium last Wednesday during Free Period. The event discussed the ideas for his senior thesis,

By Katelyn Hurd which he is currently working News Editor on. He explained his views of different philosophers and compared them to how these ideas could be applied to politics today.

His research project began last semester, and his ideas were approved in December. Lamanita, who has conservative political views, discussed the ideas of philosophers John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, as well as John Rawls and Immanuel Kant, the two main philosophers in which he is planning his thesis around. He also discussed the ideas of Kant’s Social Contract Theory. Approximately 20 professors and students attended the event and some even discussed and challenged Lamantia’s ideas after the presentation.

“This is a very abstract topic,” said Lamantia, who is also The Anchor’s opinions editor.

Lamantia explained he stumbled upon this topic. He first expressed an interest in Voltaire, a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher who lived during the 18th century, famous for advocating civil liberties such as freedom of religion, expression, free trade and separation of church and state.

Then he was interested in the works of Rousseau, a Genevan philosopher, writer and composer of 18th century French Romanticism, whose political philosophy influenced the French Revolution and the overall development of modern political, sociological and educational thought.

“I decided not to deal with Rousseau for now,” he said.

Lamantia explained he discovered the works of Rawls and Kant, which was what his presentation was based on.

Jonathan Lamantia He said he discovered the works of Rawls through Kant, and is currently creating his thesis around the two philosophers, comparing them to each other.

Rawls, a modern American philosopher who lived from 1921 to 2002, specialized in moral and political philosophy. Kant was a German philosopher who focused on researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th century Enlightenment. Many philosophers amended and developed the Kantian system, bringing about various forms of German idealism and European thinking that progressed after his time, and his influence still inspires philosophical work today, including Lamantia.

“Morality means you are obeying your own will and not subjected to anyone else,” Lamantia said of of Kant’s ethical views, which he agreed with.

speaks at

RIC’s Political Science Colloquium.

Anchor Photo // David Okon

RIC student holds Political Science Colloquium

Lamanitia said that Rawls’ book, “A Theory of Justice,” is basically a modern version of Kantian’s theory.

“It is a restatement of Kant’s ideas for the modern world,” said Lamantia. He also said that Kant’s ideas were meant for individuals, whereas Rawls’ were meant for the society as a whole.

The colloquium lead to a heated discussion between the attendees and Lamantia, exchanging ideas between each other. When a student argued Lamantia’s idea, a professor in attendance said, “I am so glad you two are finally meeting.”

Lamantia explained he is still researching his ideas for his thesis. His discussion is part of a series of colloquia in the political science department that will take place this spring.

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RIC hosts Project Connect forum

R.I. program rekindles struggling families

By Sarah David

Anchor Contributor

Losing custody of a child due to a substance addiction is traumatizing for both children and their parents. However, there is a program available for parents to repair the lost relationship and regain custody of their child.

On Friday, Feb. 2, a forum was held in the Student Union Ballroom regarding improvement in parenting practices and the well-being of children through the involvement of the program Project Connect.

For the last 20 years, the people of Project Connect and their cooperating community resources have worked together to provide a positive outlook on substance abuse recovery. The main purpose of Project Connect is to help those parents suffering from substance abuse become clean. However, the goal of Project Connect isn’t simply just to help the parents along the bumpy road to sobriety.

It is also to create permanency and stability for children and their families by improving parenting abilities and creating a strong bond between parent and child.

“The focus is not on the addiction. The focus is on the recovery from the addiction. We want people to focus on the wellness,” said Steven Gymbley, a representative from the Institute for Addiction Recovery.

Often, when children are taken away from their parents due to a substance abuse problem, the parents are referred to a rehabilitation program that simply does not

live up to the expectations set by the federal government.

The problem isn’t that the parents are failing the program, but rather the program is failing the parents.

“Kids in the system are bouncing so frequently in and out of care. This should be a great concern,” said Sidney Gardner, president of Child and Family Futures, Inc. “Judges are making life-changing decisions without researching the outcome of these programs. If judges keep sending people to programs that are below standard, the results are also going to be below standard.”

Simply forcing parents to go through drug screenings is not going to solve the issue at hand. Many times, when a child is taken from a substance-addicted parent, the main focus is on the child’s well-being, and little focus is placed on the recovery of the parent.

“I just wanted to get through screens. I didn’t trust DCYF. The notion of recovery was not an option when DCYF showed up at my door,” said Holly, a student at RIC and a client of Project Connect who attended the forum.

“We get so worked up about the well-being of the child, that we forget the parent,” said Gardener.

Project Connect is the perfect example of a wellintegrated and effective program. It is the only program in the state that works hand in hand with the Department of Children, Youth and Families to create stronger family relationships and help parents achieve a substance-free life style.

This program has many unique components that set

it apart from any other program available. For example, families involved with Project Connect can participate in a three month home program designed to educate parents using a 12-step recovery model. Available exclusively for pregnant women and families with children under the age of three is a weekly visit from a pediatric nurse who monitors early childhood development and safety.

Also available through the program is access to countless recreational opportunities, such as the zoo, Children’s Museum, and other special events.

After hearing several clients speak about their experiences with the program, it is that Project Connect has been successful.

“Project Connect helped a lot, especially with bonding,” said Yolanda, who is 20 months clean and in the process of regaining custody of her daughter.

Angela, another client of Project Connect, said that her experience with DCYF was a difficult one.

“Sadly enough, me and my worker didn’t see eye to eye.

She passed judgment, and that’s what stuck,” Angela said.

She is grateful that the workers at Project Connect were so helpful and understanding of what she was going through.

“Project Connect helped show who I am as a person, as a parent. I do have goals, I do have substance and I want better for my kids.”

Project Connect is available to any parent living in Rhode Island who has an identified substance abuse problem and is legally involved with DCYF.

RIC’s second Biology Series features prehistoric plant life Wendy Clement from Yale University hosted the second installment of RIC’s spring Biology Symposia Series. Held in Room 50 of Fogarty, the lecture hall was filled with nearly 50 people to witness

By Justin Goslant her presentation on botany, Anchor News Writer which is the study of plant life.

“Students often think plants are boring,” said Clement as she began to present some of her work on the evolutionary origins and distributions of plant diversity. “I hope by the end of this to change that.”

Clement began her talk by giving example of some of the most interesting plants, including the bottle neck tree, which lives in a very dry climate. Its large, thick trunk swells when it rains as it absorbs excess water for later.

Plants, like any other species, have a specific phylogeny, or a way to be categorized by interrelatedness over time. In the past, these types of systematics would be done by collecting samples, noting their similar morphologies, and drawing conclusions about relatedness through similar physical characteristics. Today, this process will usually include fossils, morphologies, and, perhaps most importantly, DNA sequencing. Modern DNA technology has been altering how botanists categorize species, since so much more information can now be gathered, which reveals the true relations between said species.

When studying plants and their origins, botanists ask

many questions. When did certain traits begin? How did they come to exist and how did they come to exist in a particular location?

To answer these and other questions, Clement chose to study viburnum, a class of angiosperms, or flowering plants. By choosing a single genus to study finding patterns would be easier. Also, when a path of when and where viburnum, a usually northern temperate plant, appears it may help shed light on how other species may have traveled during a specific region at a specific time.

One area where Clement studied biogeography was in South America. There, certain species can be found in South and Central America. In order to find out where these plants may have originated, one must look back in time at where the continents were hundreds of millions of years ago. Then, by calculating a mutation rate (living things change over time and these changes can be averaged out to equal one mutation every so many millennia), specific mutations and speciation events can be dated. These methods can be used on any number of specimens.

This study found that certain South American angiosperms did not begin on the supercontinent of Gondwana, but evolved more recently and crossed the land bridge between Central and South America just after its most recent reconnection.

When doing such studies, it’s important to note that the center of diversity, or where there’s the most amount of variation between members of the same group, does not necessarily mean that the origin of a certain ancestor, or relative, has been found.

Clement also gave an overview of a new technique of DNA barcoding and how it’s being used in her field. Normal DNA sequencing looks at all or most of a DNA strand.

Barcoding looks for, isolates, and sequences a single mitochondrial gene. By looking at just one segment of a specific gene, time is cut off from making identification.

However, when viburnum was barcoded, almost no variation was found, and thus this technique could not be used to identify all types of viburnum. So, genes located in the chloroplasts, and other locations, were chosen.

Eventually, nearly 90 percent of species had a unique sequence. It’s hypothesized that since some plants, particularly woody plants like trees, have longer generation times, there would be fewer mutations, and thus fewer unique sequences, between closely related species.

Barcoding, when it becomes more refined, may be able to identify living things quickly and cheaply. Barcoding may even be applied to border patrols and health inspections. For example sushi from various restaurants were barcoded and the results found that the fish was not always as advertised, sometimes coming from critically endangered species. Border patrols could use it to possibly prevent invasive species from gaining footholds in new areas.

As a plug for her field, Clement explained that she is often required to travel extensively in order to collect specimens from around the world from places like South America, New Guinea and numerous others.

Your opinion matters

February 13, 2012

8

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Obama’s turn

“

From an optics perspective, this was clearly a mistake.

“

For the past several weeks, this column has been heavy on the GOP primary, but it has practically ignored the other half of the race, President Obama. So let’s first focus on how his week

By Jonathan Lamantia went.

Opinions Editor The Good By now, I hope everyone is aware of the emergence of Super Political Action Committees, or Super PACs. These groups exist to indirectly transfer money from an organization/corporation/ union’s treasury to a candidate in the form of direct expenditures. For example, a company who would like to see President Obama re-elected might consider creating a PAC, directly funded by the company’s treasury, to create television ads, host events, etc. PACs were given the ability to become super as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC, which struck all restrictions on the amount they could spend.

Some will recall that President Obama, in his State of the Union Address in 2010, showered his disapproval upon the stoic members of the court. Well, he still might not think it’s beneficial for PACs to be super, but apparently this hasn’t stopped him from getting close to a pro-Obama super PAC. Some in the media have balked at this move accusing the president of being a flip-flopper. In my view it was naïve to believe that the president would not eventually have to contradict himself. This move was inevitable. Everyone knows that the Romney super PAC is massive and has been responsible for several killer ads, for example the one attacking Gingrich in Florida. Without the PAC’s direct expenditures, it’s hard to imagine Romney being able to outspend Gingrich by five to one.

Obama’s decision was smart, and yes, it was highly political. So what? Get over it! The “yes we can” man never existed. He’s a politician.

The Bad Now, the Super PAC will definitely help the president, but something that will not is the issue over contraception and religious organizations that flared up last week.

For those who aren’t familiar with the issue, I’ll explain.

Basically, the Department of Health and Human Services crafted a regulation which would have forced religious organizations to provide their female employees with health plans that cover the cost of various contraception devices, including those that can terminate pregnancies.

Thus, under the regulation, some religious institutions would end up paying for what is morally abhorrent to them.

From an optics perspective, this was clearly a mistake. There is no way of getting around this one. This story provided one more premise for the conservative argument against Obama. What could be worse for the man who is portrayed by his opponents as “anti-religion” and “anti-freedom of religion” than a policy which forces religious institutions to pay for what they consider a sin?

Rick Santorum clearly understands. He basically said just that in a speech after the issue went public.

And despite the administration’s attempt to resolve the issue, by mandating all insurance companies to provide contraception free of charge to its female customers, nothing was really solved.

As the Council of Catholic Bishops said in a public statement, the new policy is ambiguous. What about religious insurance agencies or health-care providers?

Will they have to provide such services? If they were, the same problem still exists.

The administration has to do better. They have to

clarify what they mean and find a way to avoid forcing religious groups from paying for what they consider morally abhorrent. If not, this issue could become another “death panel” issue, but this time, it would be one created by the administration.

The GOP Obviously, one of the most important developments that happened last week was Mitt Romney’s trouncing in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado. Maybe the more surprising thing, though, is who won all three contests: Rick Santorum. What happened to Gingrich? Even Paul managed to beat out Romney!

Don’t believe anyone who says they can tell you exactly why this race is so unsettled. There are far too many facts to identify a clear causation. However, let me try to interpret this.

First, conservatism is split between the establishment, and new fundamentalist conservatives who form the base of the Tea Party. Romney is identified with the former, and cannot shake the perception. Before this election, Romney may have been able to say, “Look, those things I did in Massachusetts were fine; they were done at the state level. Go state’s rights!” This was the old model.

It’s no longer that simple. You must be fully conservative. Romney can’t be himself, and he can’t hide himself—he just comes off as artificial. At the prominent convention of conservatives, CPAC, last week, only one line from Romney is really catching the attention of the media – and in a bad way. He said that as governor, he was “a severely conservative governor.” What a childish way to put it. He’s trying too hard.

Still, if one looks at polling averages for the next several contests, Romney still looks strong. But, don’t expect this to be over anytime time soon. The decisive decision will come out of the convention, not any particular contest. It’s just that kind of a cycle. I wish we could be more exact, but it’s not possible.

Your opinion matters

February 13, 2012

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The rise of Rick Santorum you to get a nuclear weapon – wink, wink, nod, nod – go ahead, just give us your oil.’ Folks, the president of the United States is selling the economic security of the United States down the river right now.”

“

Rick Santorum seems to want the government in the bedroom of consenting adults.

“

His moment had finally arrived.

After spending countless hours campaigning, Rick Santorum finally was able to establish himself as the anti-Romney candidate last Tuesday, with

By Robert Santurri Jr. victories in Missouri, MinAnchor Columnist nesota and Colorado. Mitt Romney losing Colorado was a huge blow to his campaign, as he had won the state with 61 percent of the vote in 2008 and was favored to win this time, as well.

Santorum, who is perhaps best known when this primary started as the guy who wears sweater vests, surprised everyone. Though a number of the states he won are non-binding in terms of delegates, it is interesting to note that he has carried more states thus far than Romney. He has done this by establishing himself not only as the anti-Romney candidate but as a social conservative.

Santorum is one of the more far-right candidates when it comes to foreign policy. If elected, Santorum has said he would bomb Iranian nuclear sites if they did not meet his demands. Just recently, he also stated that President Obama is helping Iran obtain nuclear weapons.

“We’re throwing Israel under the bus because we know we’re going to be dependent upon OPEC,” Santorum said. “We’re going to say, ‘Oh, Iran, we don’t want

The main problem with this statement is that the United States does not buy oil from Iran. Furthermore, several other countries get a fair amount of their oil from Iran and stopping that would cause oil prices to skyrocket. This would certainly have a negative impact, not only on the United States economy, but the world economy.

A recent article in Bloomberg also shows how Santorum’s belief that we’re going to be dependent upon OPEC is out-of-touch with reality. Domestic oil is not only the highest it has been in eight years, but the United States also has more natural gas than ever.

Santorum also has expressed his opposition to the 1965 Supreme Court decision, Griswold v. Connecticut.

In a 7-2 vote, the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution protected a right to privacy, which paved the way for the Court’s 1973 decision on abortion in Roe v.

Wade. To make that clear, Santorum believes there is no

fundamental right to privacy.

Santorum also has previously expressed his belief that there are no exceptions for abortion, even in the case of rape or incest.

He also defended the now repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy earlier this year in a debate. He totally missed the point of getting rid of the policy when he tried to equate it with keeping sexual activity out of the military.

In 2003, the Supreme Court struck down Texas’s anti-sodomy law in Lawrence v. Texas. Santorum was not happy with this and made it known about his opposition to the Court’s ruling. The following comment was made in an interview with the Associated Press on April 7, 2003: “We have laws in states, like the one at the Supreme Court right now, that has sodomy laws and they were there for a purpose. Because, again, I would argue, they undermine the basic tenets of our society and the family.

And if the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, and then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest and you have the right to adultery.

You have the right to anything. Does that undermine the fabric of our society? I would argue yes, it does.”

Rick Santorum seems to want the government in the bedroom of consenting adults, and he wants the government to enforce rules based on his beliefs, which are derived from his religion. This should worry both liberals and conservatives alike.

A conservative on gay marriage

By Sarah Fruci

Anchor Contributor

Whenever the discussion of gay marriage comes up, I begin to worry. Regardless of the opinions around me, I always feel pushed into a “conservative corner.” My disapproval of gay marriage always becomes tied to the religious right by those on the left.

It’s not always fair to assume that those who view marriage as being between a man and a woman have a Bible verse to back them up. I certainly don’t. Once I explain that religion is not the primary factor behind my view, I’m asked, what is?

For years I’ve been trying to answer this question, intellectually, by dissecting my personal understanding of marriage. Many anti-gay proponents argue that letting same-sex couples enjoy the privilege of marriage would destroy the institution, because, in their view, homosexuality is inherently evil.

These people drive me crazy. How can homosexuality be linked to evil? I’ve worked and developed many relationships with homosexuals, none of whom ever needed an exorcism. Yet it’s hard for me to picture same-sex couples walking down the aisle.

All the images I grew up with showed heterosexual couples exchanging rings and committing for eternity.

These images have constructed the way I presently view marriage – as a heterosexual union.

I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, and only a man and a woman. Society has been centered on this idea, and changing something so core to the institution would defeat its purpose.

Even though religion is not a primary component of my view, I would be naïve in not mentioning it. Religion is a factor in the heterosexual view of marriage.

The Church has taught society that marriage is not just any relationship between human beings. God’s plan was for it solely to be between a man and a woman, with one of the main purposes being procreation. The Church believes that marriage is holy while homosexual acts go against its law. Even though this belief is commonly held among Christians, it is one held by many different religions.

We expect that religious organizations have freedom from government intrusion. If government is allowed to define marriage, it is crossing its boundaries, and interfering in an institution which has historically been religious. Catholics wouldn’t appreciate the government regulating communions, and the Amish wouldn’t like the government telling them they had to use electricity.

Marriage falls into this religious tradition category, and should be off limits to the government. Government should only be in the business of granting legal protection to couples, even if those couples are heterosexual.

Every day, marriage links men and women to one another for life. From this pair, families emerge. Families are able to function more efficiently when both parents are stable in their bond to one another. I believe that eternity is further solidified through marriage because it is held together through the continuation of the family, children and grandchildren.

I acknowledge that divorce does take place at record rates in the U.S. To say that heterosexuals have commitment figured out is not true. But if more marriages took

place, the divorce rate would increase, discrediting the institution further. If marriage were to become open to anyone, I feel that it not only loses its value, but since it’s not meant for two people of the same sex, gay couples aren’t able to fully embody and represent marriage as it was meant to be.

I feel the entering and exiting into marriage wouldn’t be taken as seriously, and the divorce rates would increase. If marriage becomes open to anyone, it’s no longer a privilege, and sadly will be treated as such. The union of two people through holy matrimony will no longer be as sacred and meaningful as it is today if one of the major pillars it stands on, to be only between a man and a woman, is taken down. If we want our children to understand the true meaning behind marriage, we must make sure it retains its value.

Through all of this I realize that, though I do not personally believe in gay marriage, I do believe in civil unions. They are able to give same-sex couples the same rights and freedoms guaranteed by marriage. Gay couples may not receive the same societal legitimation as those with marriages, but those things take time. Marriage has been the norm in the west for thousands of years, and it can’t be expected that society automatically legitimize civil unions.

Society needs to see that it works and is just as meaningful and sacred to the couples engaged in this union for them to see it as valid. Separating civil unions and marriages is important if marriage is to remain a symbol of religious and heterosexual commitment as it has historically been.

Your opinion matters

February 13, 2012

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Caring for our community environment

By Justin Goslant

Anchor Staff Writer

In America we have certain environmental standards meant to protect the public from pollution and carcinogens. People must follow these rules and try to clean nasty sites up quickly and safely, with the best interests of residential communities, as opposed to

the bottom line.

Maybe you don’t expect that, and perhaps we shouldn’t, as is the case with many locations in Rhode Island. One such site is located off Tidewater St. in Pawtucket.

From the 1800s to the mid-1970s, the industrial site in Pawtucket was a coal gasification plant where coal was heated in airless ovens while its gases were extracted, along with many toxic byproducts.

Today there’s a neighborhood surrounding the old plant, along with two schools (one literally across the street), playing fields and a river.

Environmental testing has been performed periodically since the ’80s, when it was found that the site contained significantly high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), chromium, lead, cyanide, petroleum hydrocarbons and naphthalene.

Some of these chemicals contain benzene, which is a known carcinogen. The plant contains abandoned underground storage drums used for a variety of chemicals, and it is no longer known what was – or still is – in

the tanks. Sludge, slag and other waste products were routinely dumped on portions of the site, which now has over 200,000 people located within four miles of it.

Side effects from these chemicals vary, but long-term exposure could include various cancers, rashes, lesions, jaundice, nausea, nerve and organ damage developmental damage and numerous other ailments. These chemicals all have different properties meaning they enter and effect the environment in different ways via air, soil and water.

Tests have shown that local drinking water contains no measurable amounts of the chemicals. However, areas surrounding part of the Seekonk River, Narragansett Bay, Providence Harbor and certain protected environments have all been affected.

Tests on the soil have revealed high amounts of contamination. Additionally, locals have complained of strong odors, and it was found that an air monitoring system, intended to warn people of dangerous air, had detected air contamination, but no one took action.

With the problem laid out, remediation efforts are being considered after an earlier haphazard clean up, but it has been slow in coming.

Rather than trying to inform the public, massive reports filled with technical jargon have been released.

A meeting will be held in March where a new remediation plan will be presented to the community by National Grid which will follow the guidelines for such meetings set forth by the Rhode Island Department Environmental Management. The Environmental Justice League will be present as a community advocate.

A decision will be made, but shouldn’t a decision

have been made 20 or 30 years ago? The plant isn’t even in operation. Why is it still located next to schools and playing fields?

Cost should not be the top concern. At least financial costs shouldn’t be. The true costs of long term exposure can be far reaching and may even open the door for lawsuits which will possibly cost the owners more than simply cleaning the mess.

Personally, I think someone should sue just because of the nuisance. If I annoyed you long enough, it would be considered harassment. With only a fence, contamination and exposure are still an issue, contrary to what official reports have said.

What’s more, the land is being wasted. Perhaps it could be park, one fully funded by the site owners as an apology to residents?

Perhaps the worst part of all this is that agencies like the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management report around 500 similar locations throughout the state.

Community members have been getting more involved, and Holly Dygert’s Applied Anthropology course here at Rhode Island College will also be trying to create awareness and assist in the remediation process.

Perhaps this is something we can all get involved with, seeing as how it affects all of us: our air, our soil and our water. While the big issue of global climate change is getting most of the environmental emphasis, we should also focus on hammering slow-acting industry to clean up its messes so we can face those dramatic climate changes instead of being hamstrung by preventable illness. Plus, wouldn’t it be nice if we just had a nicer place to live?

repapsweN rohcnA ehT

February 13, 2012

11

Our issues, Your issues editorinchief@anchorweb.org

Op-Ed

RIC parking needs more than a convenient fix As I was reading Katelyn Hurd’s article, “A convenient fix provides new parking on East Campus” [News, Feb. 6], I realized a few things. First off, the administration is trying to help with the parking issues on campus, however these issues deal with faculty parking first and foremost.

I understand Vice President for Administration and Finance William Gearhart said, “We didn’t set out to build a parking lot.” There is still much concern for commuters, such as myself, as to where legal parking spaces are available. Why can’t the college follow suit of other nearby colleges, such as Roger Williams University, and create some sort of parking structure? It need only be a three-level structure, and that would alleviate a great deal of searching.

Gearhart also said, “With the number of spaces given the number of students, we are confident we have enough spaces. They just aren’t preferable.” I disagree with Gearhart – there are not enough spaces, or at least none in a legal place. I roam the parking lots and find not only a plethora of horrible parking jobs, but also many illegally parked cars. There are spaces in back of the dorms, but this is the least suitable place to park.

Take into account that the number of students who live and work off campus.

According to colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com, 84.5 percent of RIC students live off campus and three to five percent of students on campus utilize Rhode Island public transportation on a regular basis. Therefore, 79 percent of students at least commute to campus. Given an enrollment of about 7,779 students, this leaves 6,144 students commuting to campus in one way or another. The college should have the obligation to alleviate stress for students living and working off campus.

Lastly, if the faculty finds my previous mentioned suggestions too costly, what about adding a shuttle service specifically in the winter? This would not only help in the event of extreme sub-zero temperatures; it would also benefit students parking in the farthest lots from the center of campus by creating a potentially dryer and safer way of getting to class.

Jonathan Kmieciak Mr. Kmieciak is an Anchor layout editor and a commuter at Rhode Island College. His thoughts are his own and do not reflect those of The Anchor.

Op-Ed

Research before you write Last week in a letter to the editor, former Anchor staffer Amy Joy Glidden opened fire on an opinion piece that I wrote, “Inconstancies in conservative support for the death penalty,” Opinions, Jan. 30.

Because I aim to argue with logic and not passion, I will ignore the childish and unwarranted assertion that I did not bother to research my opinion. All I will say is this: Just because a writer doesn’t address all you would like to see in an article, in the way you want them to, doesn’t mean the writer hasn’t done his research. There are many ways to broach a topic, and this one in particular has many angles.

Ms. Glidden, you take issue with my use of a hypothetical situation to explain the partiality of the death penalty. You argue that I could, and should, have simply referenced the disparate number of minorities who are sentenced to death.

I agree this is a problem, and an example of partiality in the process.

However, the reason I chose to not use a minority-related example was so I could fully distill the issue. If I had simply said the death penalty is applied disproportionally to minority convicts, I wouldn’t have gotten to the core of the issue.

May I submit to you the issue isn’t purely about minority status – it’s about the amount of sympathy one can elicit from a court. Yes, racial prejudices can indeed affect one’s sympathy.

However, sympathy can be toyed with by any number of other factors, such as money or severity of the crime.

In a longer article, I might have addressed race specifically. However, my belief then, and now, is that the driving issue is sympathy. My hypothetical demonstrates the pure power of sympathy by invoking it in readers. And

my point, of course, was that sympathy ought to have no place in capital cases.

Now on your second issue with my piece: You inform me that conservatives ought to disavow the death penalty due to its cost. Here you make a rash generalization. You assume that all conservatives want to cut spending in every area possible. Really? Because, I’m pretty sure George W. Bush was a conservative and still increased national defense spending at a geometric pace.

Or, if President Bush is not conservative enough for you, consider Rick Santorum or Rick Perry. They would both bomb Iran tomorrow if given the chance. That certainly costs money. The point is this: conservatives do not necessarily want to cut all spending, especially on interests they like.

But even for those conservatives who do see the death penalty for the major drain of state resources it is, I did address the issue. At least, I addressed it via a proxy issue.

Ask yourself the question: Why do conservatives want to continually cut the government’s budget? Easy! They cut in order to limit its ability to act. Why would they do this? Simple. They hold a philosophy of government which values minimal power, especially minimalized central power, like that of the federal government.

You will note that I did, in fact, address this issue. My article addresses the issue of cost via the issue of limited government.

It’s one thing to grab a couple facts off the Internet and call it good research.

It’s another thing entirely to take facts and weigh them by importance, talk to actual conservatives and then synthesize a reasoned argument which hits at the subtext, not just the common, every-day-use arguments. That’s real research. And it is certainly something I did.

Jonathan Lamantia Mr. Lamantia the opinions editor of The Anchor. His thoughts are his own and do not reflect those of The Anchor.

What’s graphics@anchorweb.org

funny?

February 13, 2011

12

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February 13, 2012

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February 13, 2012

it's a way of life

14

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Student Organization Showcase

Upco min g St ude n t Act ivit ies

see page 16 see page

Why I dislike Valentine’s see Day page 18

Video Game Break

see page

When: Feb. 15 12:30 p.m.

Where: Student Union Cafe Cost: Free Sponsored by Student Activities

Back

So you think you know Black Histor y When: Feb. 16 6:30 p.m.

Where: Student Union Ballroom Cost: Free Sponsored by Harambee and the Unity Center

Breaking the Code: RIC Mainstage Production When: Feb. 17 8 to 10:30 p.m.

Where: Forman Theater Cost: 15$ General Admission Sponsored by The Department of Music, Theater, and Dance

see page 19 see page

Anchor Photo // Edward Taylor

again

in the saddle

Valentine’s Day

The taken, the seeking and the single

Ladies and gentlemen if you will direct your attention to the nearest calendar you will see that Valentine’s Day is upon us. Now for some of you this is a

By Heather Nichols Helpful Heather’s Advice happy day, a day to spend time with your loved one; perhaps go out to a nice dinner or spend the night in and sip champagne while snuggling up to a romantic comedy. Others of you hate this day and dread its approach because it’s just another reminder that you’re single. But it doesn’t have to be that way, there are plenty of things you can do to get through this holiday and do it smiling.

Now remember back in the day when Valentines meant getting little candy hearts and cherry lollipops from fellow classmates?

Valentine’s Day certainly wasn’t a disappointment then and it doesn’t have to be now. Just because you’re single doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the day. Why not use this day as an

excuse to celebrate yourself? Treat yourself to a day of pampering, go get your nails done or purchase a month long subscription to Xbox Live gold and play Halo with other people to your heart’s content. Whatever suites your fancy. There are plenty of ways to treat yourself and you deserve it because there’s nothing wrong with it.

Or maybe you’re looking to take the leap and go on a date with someone. While there are several dating sites that offer free profiles and services, there once was a time before the internet when people went places for the sake of meeting potential singles. Incidentally one of those places was in fact college so if you were thinking about joining one of those clubs that seemed really cool to you at the Student Organization Showcase last week, now might not be a bad time to do that. Clubs offer a great opportunity to meet new people, one of whom could be just waiting for you to ask them out to coffee afterwards. Or maybe you’ve had your eye on someone for a while now but have been waiting for the right moment to say something to them. Just go up to them and start a conversation. Even if it doesn’t lead

to romance it could lead to a friendship. You might even find out that the person isn’t as enchanting as you first thought they were and in that case it’s no big deal. Don’t get discouraged, just keep looking, there’s someone out there for you.

Now if you’re already in a relationship Valentine’s Day could go a couple of different ways for you. It could be just another day where you and your significant other spend time together. Or it could mean a lot to you, where you have the restaurant reserved and your outfit picked out weeks, maybe even months ahead of time. Either way is perfectly fine; just make sure your partner is on the same page. My personal opinion is to keep it simple because anniversaries are more important. They’re your own and not shared with every other couple. There’s something to be said about a home cooked dinner, a couple glasses of good wine (if you’re off campus), and a classic film. Call it old fashioned but it’s simple, affordable and you can top it all off with a box of chocolates. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy it and have a happy Valentine’s Day.

February 13, 2012

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it's a way of life lifestyles@anchorweb.org

Sweets for your sweet

Things I learned about Ah, Valentine’s Day. It’s the time of year when lovers get to show just how much they love each other and for the rest of us it’s one of those days that means absolutely nothing. For those of you who have a significant other and

By Ashlet St. Louis T.I.L.T. to those of you who don’t for whatever reason that may be, let me relay something to you that I learned this week from television. What show have I decided to impeach on you all this week? It’s a short series called “Bunny Drop.”

“Bunny Drop” follows a bachelor in his early thirties who leads a fulfilling life. He has a nice house, a job that provides him with the necessary funds and enough spare time to spend with his friends. However, one day he receives a call from home stating that his grandfather has recently passed away. When he attends the funeral, he

Lift the foil to remove the fudge from the pan and place the whole hunk of fudge on a cutting board and proceed to finish cutting it into squares.

After the fudge is complete you can put it into mini muffin cups, wrap individually or put in a cute box. Either way it’ll be a cute, delicious, easy gift your valentine will love. Even if you don’t have a special someone in your life make them for yourself or friends and just enjoy!

familyfun.go.com

after each interval. Once the chocolate mixture is smooth, use a spatula to evenly spread it into the pan you prepared earlier. In another medium-size microwave-safe bowl, repeat the melting process as described with white chocolate, but stir at 20-second intervals, as white chocolate tends to burn faster. While the fudge is still warm, use a knife to score it into one inch squares, and then place a conversation heart on top. Chill the fudge uncovered in the refrigerator until firm checking on it every half hour.

Courtesy //

It’s that time of year again, Valentine’s Day. It’s a day for love, passion and freaking out over what to give your significant other. If you have yet to get a gift or just haven’t found that special something but are running out of time look no further than

By Rashaa Al-Sasah Dishing Out your own kitchen. As cliché as it sounds, gifts that you make are one of the best things you can give to your sweetheart. It shows that you care and took the time to make something rather than buying something generic at the store.

You can make something as simple as chocolate covered strawberries or as complex as truffles. Whichever route you decide to take as long as it comes from the heart it’s sure to make your sweetheart smile. For those of you wanting to make an easy treat I would suggest conversation heart fudge.

To make it all you need is five ingredients: one and one-fourth cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, one and onefourth cup white chocolate chips, one cup of sweetened condensed milk, salt and conversation hearts. This fudge has two layers to it, a semi-sweet chocolate and a white chocolate; if you prefer one over the other you can simply replace the layers with one kind of chocolate. The reason why this recipe is great is that it’s simple and easy with no cooking involved. That’s right all you bad cooks out there, as long as you can use a microwave you can make fudge.

Here’s how: First, line an eight inch square pan with aluminum foil and set it aside for later. Next, in a medium-size, microwave-safe bowl, combine the semi-sweet chocolate chips with half a cup of sweetened condensed milk and a dash of salt. Microwave the mixture on high at 30-second intervals until the chocolate is melted, making sure to stir

alentine’s Day

notices a young girl that seems like she doesn’t p a r ticularly belong there.

H e comes to find out that this little girl was his grandfather’s illegitimate daughter and, as a result, no one in the family is willing to take her in despite the fact that she is indeed a part of the family. In a spur of the moment decision, our bachelor decides to take in this young girl. Despite the challenges that come with being a single parent, he reminds those around him that at times like these, family is all we have.

When most of us think of Valentine’s Day, the first

thought that probably pops into our heads is geared more towards the bond two people share as a couple.

However, I was reminded by “Bunny Drop” that perhaps Valentine’s Day isn’t just about that, but also recognizing all the people in your life that love you for being exactly who you are. It recently occurred to me that my parents have always gotten me a card and box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day. So for those of you who look upon Feb. 14 with scorn, remember there are plenty of people out there who love you: Friends, family, that guy in accounting who always says hi (well, he’s kind of iffy). You don’t need to get them a box of chocolates or a bouquet of roses, just remind them that you care about them. And for those of you that have significant others, the least you could do is give those people, who have been with you through thick and thin, a reminder that you do love them. Otherwise, have a fun and happy rose colored life. Happy Valentine’s Day!

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February 13, 2012

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Student Organization Showcase

Hundreds of students came to the Student Union Ballroom on Wednesday Feb. 8 for the bi-annual Student Organization Showcase.

Sponsored by Student Activities, this showcase, with over 34 student organizations in attendance, allowed RIC students and transfers to see the different types of groups RIC has to offer.

With some organizations handing out

By Alexandra Weston Lifestyles Editor fliers, free candy, cups, sunglasses and other club-related memorabilia, students were being recruited left and right by some of the newer and more involved organizations on campus.

Shelby Whittet, Student Activities’ Graduate Intern, was responsible for putting this event together. She said, “I think the biggest hope is for [student organizations] to find new members that are interested and to do some outreach to transfers.”

Whittet also said that this was a great opportunity for organizations to help each other find potential members that may be interested in them.

Student Activities, which had a table set up outside of the Ballroom was also trying to spread the word. Donnie Tavares, a Student Activities employee, said, “We just hope that we have more participation in trips and events year round so we can build a closer community at RIC.” Anthony Scalzi, RIC junior and member of the Ballroom Dance Club had high expectations for the showcase, as well. He said, “We’re trying to recruit as many people as we can. At the moment we are somewhat of a small organization, but we have a lot of fun and we want to bring that fun to RIC.” Ballroom Dance, which held two events last weekend, also provided plenty of entertainment for the showcase. With music from RIC’s own radio station, 90.7 WXIN, the club members took to the dance floor to show students the types of dances they could learn by joining

(Above) RIC Radio 90.7 WXIN debuted their new DJ equipment at the Student Organization Showcase.

(Below) Students joined together to show their stuff as they danced to LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It.”

Anchor Photo // Sarah Gillpatrick

Anchor Photo // David Okon

RIC clubs and organizations take over the Student Union Ballroom to recruit new members

February 13, 2012

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(Top) Feminists United

Student Organization Showcase, along with RIC Accounting Association (bottom left) and RIC The RIC Ballroom Dance Club showed their talent in the center of the Student Union Ballroom (center).

were among the organizations at the

Angels (bottom

right).

Anchor Photos // David Okon

their club.

The showcase was designed for transfer students to get a feel for the different types of organizations that RIC has to offer them, and according to Kelsey Brehnan and Cassie Jones, both freshmen transfer students, the event was working for them.

Jones said, “We’re kind of just looking to see if anything catches our eye, and all the free stuff is very nice.”

“We like [the event] so far. Everyone is so nice,” Brehnan said.

Despite the students that had never joined a student organization, there were also students that were looking to join more and broaden their horizons. Tabitha Almeida, a RIC sophomore, is already an active member of the Lambda Chi sorority, and also participated in the Ballroom Dance Club for a time, but was looking for more.

She said, “I’m really busy with classes, but I do whatever I can.

I’m actually thinking about becoming a part of WXIN and having a show there.”

This year’s Student Organization Showcase was a success for the transfer students and RIC student organizations that were in attendance. If there were any students that happened to miss the event, but are interested in joining a RIC student organization, they can find the student organization directory on the Student Activities page of the RIC website.

Whittet also said that Student Activities is planning another student organization event on a smaller scale sometime in April. The purpose for this, she said, will be to recruit incoming freshmen and transfer students for the following fall semester.

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Why I dislike Valentine’s Day Everyone has different opinions and I’m going to say mine. I hate Valentine’s Day. In my eyes, what Valentine’s Day is has to do with competition amongst businesses; from Hallmark to Things Remembered to flower companies to jewelry companies

By Deidre Green to even expensive chocolates The Simple Things and fruit baskets.

Nothing is more annoying than having to work on Valentine’s Day and watching a bouquet of flowers being delivered to a co-worker. It’s obnoxious and it leaves the co-worker acting completely stupid for the rest of the day because she’s “so in shock her boyfriend would even do such a thing!” AKA she probably hinted for the past four months for him to do something nice for her on the holiday.

Also, I don’t know what’s better: getting a card handwritten from someone or buying a Hallmark card. How is it a gift from the heart if the flowers aren’t even delivered by the significant other? Or if the card is already typed by a company and the box of chocolates is something that every woman across the country is getting as well?

The materialistic items are not going to strengthen the relationship in any way.

After randomly having conversations with different men about the topic, it always seems to make them uneasy. As much as I think they want to avoid the holiday, they can’t. Most of them have girlfriends they need to buy for. Even though they technically don’t have to, it will avoid an unnecessary argument.

I remember in middle school it was always a contest amongst the girls on Valentine’s Day and they always got extremely competitive. For $1, the week before Valentine’s Day we were allowed to order carnations for our

friends and such. On the morning of Valentine’s Day the carnations would be delivered to our homerooms. Nothing felt better than walking around school with a bunch of carnations and we always counted how many each other had. They were the cheapest and most pointless things and I usually just threw them out when I got home.

Pathetically, those cheap and commercialized carnations were what got me through the miserable holiday called Valentine’s Day. So ladies, if on the night before Valentine’s Day you see a group of men in the Hallmark aisle and in the flower section in Stop and Shop, they’re most likely not doing it because they want to. They are probably doing it because they all talked prior to taking the trip to Stop and Shop and agreed it were best to avoid an unnecessary fight. So thank them.

I remember the first time I fell head over heels in love with a pair of shoes. I was 7 and the Spice Girls had just hit the scene. I begged for a pair of platform Sketchers sneakers like

By Courtney Woods Style RX Baby Spice’s until my parents finally relented.

They were navy blue, had three inch tall rubber platforms and squiggly laces that never needed to be re-tied. I loved them so much I cleaned them on the weekend with dish soap and a toothbrush.

It’s been 15 years and my love for shoes has only grown. So when I heard about shoe-of-themonth clubs, I was intrigued. I thought month clubs were reserved for books, fruit and wine. But online shoe-of-the-month clubs have been gaining popularity over the past few years.

Most shoe-of-the-month websites work the same. You complete a questionnaire that compares shoes for you to pick favorites. You’re asked questions like which celebrity’s closet would you like to raid, and what you would wear on a first date. You’re also asked what colors and styles you prefer to see in your monthly offerings. I don’t like flats so I asked for only boots, stilettos and wedges. Since I have more leopard print shoes than Snooki, I was able to set my preferences so I wouldn’t be offered leopard print.

Every month you can choose between four

or five shoes selected based on your preferences.

The selected shoe is shipped directly to your door.

The next month, the shoes are completely different. Buying a pair every month isn’t required for members. If you have an unpredictable income, like me, there is an option to opt out of selecting a shoe for the month.

These clubs feature very trendy shoes that look fresh off the red carpet. However, the sites also offer women the option of choosing wardrobe staples, like a classic nude pump, or black patent ballet flat.

After trying out Justfab, Shoedazzle and Sole Society, I was able to weigh pros and cons of shoe-of-the-month clubs. These clubs are ideal for fashion forward women who love the time-saving convenience of online shopping. It’s a great way to keep up with rapidly changing trends. Also it’s affordable. Most sites charge a monthly rate of around $40.

Now for the negative – Shoe shopping is an experience that I relish. It’s almost meditative to spend all day roaming shoe stores, pouring over different styles and trying on anything and everything that catches my eye. A few clicks and a visit from the UPS guy aren’t as satisfying. Plus, I love bargain hunting. Fixed prices and I don’t get along.

All in all, I enjoyed experimenting with shoeof-the-month clubs. But to me, actually going shopping for shoes is half the fun. It’s an almost holy experience I don’t want to streamline in any way.

Courtesy // 5inchesorhigher.blogspot.com

Let’s get some shoes

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Back in the saddle again

By Nice Guy and Ponyboy The Man Cave

Nice Guy It’s been awhile hasn’t it? There’s nothing like coming back four issues into the semester to get back into the swing of things. For the fans of “The Man Cave” I guess a little explanation would be in order. Over the course of the winter break The Anchor Lifestyles editor received a rather lengthy letter complaining about the crudeness of this column, and how it’s degrading to women. I assume that it was mostly aimed towards Ponyboy, but regardless I would like to apologize to any women who have been offended by my rather spirited colleague. I wish I could say it won’t happen again, but I just know Ponyboy too well to be able to make that promise.

Anyway, I don’t know why but Ponyboy insisted on touching on our New Year’s resolutions that we had planned to write about in the first week of the semester.

Mine was the typical promise a person makes to themselves at the start of a new year. Of course I have, since Jan. 1, fallen off the track and went back to my normal diet of hamburgers and fried chicken from the Donovan grill line. Other than that I really don’t have any more. I guess “be a better person,” could be one. Find a steady girl-

friend since things have been a bit stagnant in the romance department lately. Oh and I guess make a few friends so I can avoid Ponyboy’s antics for more than five minutes. So kind of a phoned-in response, sorry guys, but honestly writing a resolution column in February just feels odd. I honestly don’t know what Ponyboy is thinking.

Ponyboy I have seen the error of my ways Rhode Island College.

Walking into The Anchor office on the first day of the semester I was shown that what I’ve written has offended many women on this campus. I had no idea that my way of life was so offensive. If I knew that saying I enjoyed dressing up like a priest and hitting women dressed as sexy kittens on Halloween would offend people, well you got to believe me when I say I would’ve never dreamed of it in print. I’m a gentle soul in reality, spending my days wearing brightly colored sweater vests where I babysit abandoned puppies at the local animal shelter so their care taker can go out to feed the homeless. I lied when I said all I do is hit the club spinning my own beats with one hand while adding chicks’ numbers to my phone with the other.

My usual Saturday night consists of going to the theater

or renting out a room at a quaint bed and breakfast with my long term girlfriend of five years. I really do live a full life away from all those frivolous and shallow experiences that plague the lives of so many kids in our generation.

Screw that. I’m 21 and have my entire life to play along with the politically correct police during my gray years. I like to party, I enjoy having fun, and I don’t hurt anyone along the way. You ever meet me and you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. If anyone is offended by what I write here, just remember everything here is all in good fun. I honestly don’t mean most of what I say and I thought that was obvious to begin with, but to reiterate this column is purely comical. I don’t mean to degrade women in fact I’m probably just making guys like me look worse. Now don’t mind me I’m going back to partying and enjoying my life before I find the wind that finally pulls in my reigns. Keep an eye out for more debauchery in the next “Man Cave,” because we’re back baby.

Q & Anchor

What are your plans for Valentine’s Day?

Name: Alisha McKay Major: Criminal Justice Year: Freshman

“Going to see my boyfriend graduate from Paris Island Bootcamp.”

Name: Kyla Pecchia Major: Poitical Science/ Public Administration Year: Junior

Name: Jeff Sirad Major: Nursing Year: Freshman

“Since I’m recently sin“Spending time gle, I’m going to save with my suitemates, money and live like I hopefully at the do any other day.”

Cheesecake Factory.”

Name: Key O’Donnell Major: Communications Year: Senior

Name: Collin Plasse Major: Criminal Justice Year: Sophomore

Name: Mariah Ramos Major: Psychology Year: Senior

“I will be at the bars at 11 p.m. as my girl dumped me two weeks ago. Happy hunting!”

“Study, walk the dog, play video games. I’m lonely.”

“I’m going to call up my loved ones and make sure they know how special they are to me.”

For your entertainment arts@anchorweb.org

Performances Now Playing Music: Young Men’s Choral Festival Friday, Feb. 10 7 p.m.

Forman Theatre $15 Dance: 53rd Annual Spring Dance Concert Feb. 24-26 7:30 p.m.

Sapinsley Hall $15

Music: RIC Chamber Orchestra and Small Ensembles Feb. 26 7:30 p.m.

Roberts Hall Free

Art: Acquire/Inquire: A Group Exhibition March 1-29 Reception: 5-8 p.m.

Bannister Gallery Free

Upcoming Campus Arts Calendar

the Code

2 p.m.

see page 22

Beethoven lives on The Muir String Quartet presents second concert at Sapinsley Hall The Performing Arts Series at Rhode Island College has officially returned and it is back stronger than ever. Last Monday a crowd gathered in Sapinsley Hall to witness a revival of the late and great musical composer, Ludwig van Beethoven. The event entitled, “The Beethoven String Quartet Cycle” is a six concert series and on this night the second concert in the Beethoven Cycle was presented by the Muir String Quartet.

The Muir String Quartet is comprised of violinist Peter Zazofsky, violinist Lucia Lin, viola player Steven Ansell and cello player Michael Reynolds. They are known worldwide as “one of the world’s most powerful and insightful ensembles.”

They are recognized by the Boston Globe for their ability to connect to their audience through a sort of “exhilarating involvement,” by the San Francisco Examiner for their “impeccable voicing and intonation,” and by the American Record Guide for their “unbridled musicality.”

It is also safe to say that the Muir String Quartet is recognized by the friends, faculty and students of Rhode Island College for their unity and vigor. According to President Nancy Carriuolo, “the musicians were excited to perform” and through their performances of “Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 127,” “Quartet in F Major, Op. 18, No. 1,” and “Quartet in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3,” the Muir String Quartet proved themselves once again as true pioneers of classical music.

The concert began with a performance of “Quartet in E-flat Major, Opus 127.” The piece was made up of three movements; “Maestoso- Allegro,” “Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile” and “Scherzando vivace.” The first movement consisted of a majestic and solemn melody but yet a fast and quick tempo. The second movement had a slow and at ease tempo that was more reminiscent of a lyrical and singing style.

The third movement shifted the atmosphere

Anchor Photo // Sarah Gilpatrick

Theatre: Breaking

Feb 18-19

Keeping the blues alive

Anchor Contributor

$15

8 p.m.

see page 22

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By Joelle Jacinthe

Sapinsley Hall

Feb. 15-18

Soaring high with the New England Winds

February 13, 2012

back to lively, fast and playful.

The concert continued with a performance of “Quartet in F Major, Op. 18. No.1.”

This piece consisted of four movements; “Allegro con brio,” “Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato,” “Scherzo: Allegro molto” and “Allegro.” The dynamics in these movements often shifted from fast and quickly with vigor and spirit to slow and at ease, passionately playing with feeling and emotion. One movement in particular, “Scherzo: Allegro molto,” had a change in tempo that was in between the feelings of being very fast and playful to even a bit humorous. It can certainly be compared to riding a rollercoaster ride of emotions. However, in spite of this, the audience kept their composure, sitting silently in their chairs and enjoying the ride.

The performance of “Quartet in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3” was the final one for the night and this piece also consisted of four movements; “Introduzione: Andante con moto- allegro vivace,” “Andante con moto quasi allegretto,” “Menuetto grazioso” and “Allegro molto.” Zazofsky described the opening of this quartet as “feeling terribly lost with an in your face entrance and a

tense and unsure feeling.” The finale was fantastic because of its glorious and triumphant ending.

The second concert of the Beethoven String Quartet Cycle was greatly enjoyed by those who attended the event on Monday night. The Muir String Quartet musicians displayed impressive skills through their instruments and were well received by the audience with a standing ovation. I stood in agreement as I clapped my hands and shared a smile with a man named Walt who sat next to me shouting the words “BRAVO.” The only wish that was granted for the night was by a man named Don who made the statement, “I hope to see more young people come out for the upcoming shows.”

The Muir String Quartet will present the third concert in the Beethoven Cycle on Monday, April 2, at 7:30 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall. All are welcome to attend the event, so come on down and be a part of this musical revival. Through his music, Beethoven lives on!

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Anchor Photo // Sarah Gilpatrick

Jeonghee Park uses photography to portray Korean community

There are over 2,000 Koreans currently living in Rhode Island, and artist Jeonghee Park exposed this community through her talented use of photography.

The photography of Park is currently being shown at the Bannister Galley in a show titled

By Katelyn Hurd “Koreans in Rhode Island.” The Anchor Editor photography series consisted of her studies of the Korean population in Rhode Island, created during her sabbatical year as a visiting professor at the University of Rhode Island.

The reception was held on Thursday, Feb. 9 at the gallery with many students, professors and members of Rhode Island’s Korean community in attendance, as you could tell just by listening to the foreign language spoken.

Heemong Kim, a RIC art professor who is also Korean, curated the show.

Upon meeting Park, the first thing she instructed me to do was eat. All of the food, catered by the Korean Society consisted of traditional Korean desserts, sushi and entrees. Though the names of the food were hard to pronounce, the taste was incredible.

Park’s main area of research has been in researching art education and applying it in a developing cultural context. This project consisted of her interviewing Korean immigrants as well as second-generation Koreans in RI. She learned their stories of how they ended up in Rhode Island and took their portraits.

“My experience was good; especially meeting the immigrants,” said Park.

One of her previous projects in 1997, “Koreans in Germany,” consisted of a cultural discover leading to

photograph members of the German community in largeformat, black-and-white photos.

“It’s nice to see art with real people in it. It is very easy to connect with, unlike abstract art,” said Mike Rifgin, a sophomore studio art major who attended the reception.

The photos involved in the gallery took place in diverse areas such as class rooms, doctors’ offices, music and tae kwon do classrooms, and even just in different family’s houses. She also focuses on exposing the Koreans working at local businesses such as bake shops, delivering mail, working at dry cleaners offices, and even just photographed as convenience store cashiers. One photo even depicted Korean women marching in Bristol’s Independence Day Parade. This expresses how their day to day life is lived and the involvement of the Korean community in RI and how they have become a huge aspect of society.

“I like this exhibit because the photos have a homely, traditional family feel to them, which goes with the strong family ties of Koreans,” said Kong Yang, a sophomore studying Studio Art. “I never knew there were so many other Koreans in Rhode Island.”

Many pictures were taken to expose Korean involvement in the education system. There are about 22 professors who are Korean in Rhode Island, including Kim, who is shown in the picture series titled, “Professors and Researchers at Brown University, University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College.”

“She would go to this church and just tell people they were taking a family photo,” Park’s son explained when asked about a peculiar series of photos all lined up like a film strip consisting of different Korean families, each arranged in the same spot. “They didn’t know it would be art.”

Park’s photos were especially crisp and colorful. She

creates a lot of depth in all of her photos by treating the foreground and background with different levels of freshness. The person may come in nice and clear, but the setting behind them is blurred slightly to make them pop out.

Her photo titled “Hong’s Tae Kwon Do Martial Arts Studio,” expresses movement and lively emotions of Koreans. The action shots depicted the movements of punching and kicking by the way the lines were blurred to express action.

Another interesting aspect of her photos is the difference in emotion with each person photograph. There could be one child smiling but three others looking smug or content. Park explained she would pose them this way.

The difference in emotion leaves the viewer lingering over the photo questioning what each person was feeling at the time.

Park taught art at Suchon National University in Korea since 1998. Park’s work is nothing less than extraordinary, as one could tell from her exhibit at bannister. She has published several book and has had exhibited many shows in Korean. She received a Masters in Fine Arts for Photography at Essen University in Germany.

“My special area is photography,” said Park.

“Even though the focus is on Koreans, the pictures feature many non-Korean people revealing the diversity of Rhode Island,” said Paula Baldomar, senior majoring in justice studies.

The show will be on display at the Bannister Galley until Feb. 23, for those interested in seeing brilliant displays of photography as well as Korean diversity, check this show out.

For your entertainment arts@anchorweb.org

February 13, 2012

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Anchor Photo // Sarah Gilpatrick

As a group, I feel that the New England Winds played expertly. They were well balanced and tonality was exceptional throughout the songs. Another comment I had was that the breath support the players used was unbelievable.

Even when they had to play softly and hold whole notes, the notes had support and were strong. The only problem I found with the concert was that some of the songs did not hold my interest. One in peculiar was the “Barn Dances.” The description of the song was of dances based off the western cowboy’s era, but they different movements in the song were slow and a little boring. I found myself almost drifting off in the middle of the movements. However, one of my favorite songs on the other end was “Motion for Woodwind Quartet.” The movements of the song did reflect the description and did hold my interest throughout.

After the concert concluded, there was a very short Q&A session. The majority of the questions dealt with different aspects of the songs and the composers. In all, I found that the concert was interesting and fun, though I did find some of the movements boring. Overall, it was enjoyable. The next RIC music event will be the Chamber Orchestra and Small Ensembles concert on Sunday, Feb. 26. Admission is free and is located in Roberts Hall. Music aficionados across campus are encouraged to attend.

Courtesy //

W i t h all the excitement of soaring through the air at 100 mph after jumping from

By Tim Hordern a plane, The Anchor A&E Writer New England Winds trilled their way into the hearts of a nearly full house in Sapinsley Hall.

Last Wednesday, Feb. 8, a nearly full house packed into the Hall to listen to the talents of the “U.S Air Force New England Winds,” a division of the Liberty band. The New England Winds are made up of Airman First Class Carolyn Sierichs on Flute, Airman First Class Kathleen Tennyson on Oboe, Staff Sargent Mickey Ireland on Clarinet, and Staff Sargent Christopher Stahl on Bassoon. Additionally, Professor Judith Lynn Stillman lent her talents on the piano for two of the five songs. The group played five songs in their one-hour performance; “TritschTratsch Polka” by Johann Strauss arranged by Bill Holcombe, “Barn Dances for Flute, Clarinet and Piano” by Libby Larsen, “Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano” by Francis Poulenc, “Motion for Woodwind Quartet” by Alyssa Morris, and “The Stars and Stripes Forever” by John Philip Sousa arranged by L. Mac Taggart and C. Stahl.

www.onelovemeg.com

Soaring high with the New England Winds

Keeping the blues alive Don’t get me wrong there are a lot of great blues acts still bouncing around in the music industry today, but for the most part it seems that one of

By Edward Taylor Music Spotlight the greatest music genres to ever grace our ears may soon be a distant memory. Sure you still have blues legends like BB King, Buddy Guy and Johnny Winter still touring in their twilight years and great lesser known acts such as Roomful of Blues keeping the genre kicking, but few blues acts today make it big at least not without compromising their sound to lean closer to alternative rock such as the Black Keys. Under the radar blues act JJ Gray & Mofro are one rare group, that while they may not playing on national radio stations, have reached relative stardom without compromising their unfiltered Cajun influenced melding of blues and funk sound.

The group’s front man JJ Gray got his start in rural Florida growing up on local music that he heard at Barbeques and at local music venues. Gray fell in love with the state of Florida and incorporated that fondness into many of his lyrics, especially the band’s hit single, “Lochloosa,” off the group’s 2004 album of the same name. Since their formation in the late 1990s the JJ Gray & Mofro have released five albums, most recently their 2010 “Georgia Warhouse.” In 2011, the group broke into the international market beginning to tour in the U.K. and throughout Europe.

JJ Gray & Mofro’s sound can be slightly hard to label, since the group has such a

broad range of influences. According to the group’s website, Gray’s influences go from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Otis Redding, George Jones, and even grand Ole Opry comedian Jerry Clower. For those of you music junkies out there like me, those influences range between southern rock, soul and country. The result is a sound that transcends a specific genre to something unique, and makes for a refreshing new group to grace your MP3 player.

Their influence of soul and funk can clearly be heard in the band’s lyrics and rhythm guitar work, with JJ Gray’s talent in song writing coming through with most of the group’s music catalogue. Still despite the heavy soul and funk influence, the group’s bluesy comes out in many of their song’s with their use of bluesy guitar riffs adding a little bit of intensity to their otherwise laid back sound. One of my favorite aspects of JJ Gray and Mofro would have to be some of the group’s harmonica work in some of their biggest singles such as, “Pray for Rain.”

It’s rare that a band catches my attention as quickly as JJ Gray & Mofro. Discovering this group by chance on Pandora at work a few weeks ago I still find them to be one of the first things I listen to when I sit down to get my grove on. You’d be missing out on a great act if you don’t take the time to check these guys out, I’d love to be a little more poetic to close out this column but there’s no other way to describe missing out on JJ & Mofro as anything but a mistake. Their entire library is worth listening to, but my personal favorites are “Dirtfloorcracker” and “Ten Thousand Islands.” Acts like these don’t come often, and it’s up to any avid music lover to keep music like funk and blues from disappearing completely.

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Sarah Sze

Making everyday objects extraordinary

L a s t semester I was abducted from my comfort zone of twodimensional design and

By Katelyn Hurd Art for the Average Joe drawing and thrust into a three-dimensional art exploration. The hours and hours I spent trying to think three-dimensionally were frustrating, and usually ended in disaster. I found myself dreading critique day when I had to show everyone the monstrosity I was trying to make.

The class was required for all art majors, despite the fact that I am focused on graphic design. Though I may have failed to be remotely close to making something work in a 3D structural way, I did adapt with one thing from the course- a whole new appreciation for this style of artwork.

Along with it came a new favorite artist, Sarah Sze. 3D art is a lot harder to make than one would think, although it did seem to come easily for others. As a graphic design major, I missed clinging to a computer and a sketch book; without either I couldn’t fathom making art.

Air had become the sketchpad, but I

was struggling with construction. I found Sarah Sze as an inspiration.

Her 3D art is made out of simple, ordinary objects, juggling the idea of tension and warping the space in an entire room to shape the viewer into a particular focal point. Some of her pieces look like your grandmother’s sewing kit and your dad’s garage got into a fist fight, creating a mess of every-day objects. Her artwork has a lot of lively movement throughout it, playing off the tension of how loose or tight something is giving the viewers a different feel depending on what they are looking at. It is truly an amazing site.

At a first glance, one may just see a room full of ordinary junk thrown together, but it is hard to look away.

The objects are simply captivatingfollowing one string for example, makes the viewer feel an almost dizzying effect.

Sze also plays with manipulating different spaces such as something as interesting as an alley or a field to something as simple as a big empty room. The world is her canvas- but random objects are her paints.

The installations she creates are made out of everyday materials, but not in the way of presenting the average object in an abnormal way, in a way of keeping its normal form

to create the installation. In many of her pieces you can still tell the parts are ladders, or tea bags, or string, but they are repeated and placed in ways that are comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. Recognizing the average object is comforting, but using it as a design element is unpredictable and interesting.

Sze was born in Boston, and graduated with her Masters in Fine arts from the School of Visual Arts, New York. Since the late 1990s, her work has been focused all over the world, from Germany to Japan. She currently teaches at Columbia University. Her latest work uses metallic and wooden materials and places them in a leafy environment as a contrast.

Sze became one of the many artists who could think in a 3D way that I came to truly appreciate. It made the agonizing experience of struggling in the class feel worth the tears, cuts and bruises I endured to appreciate and truly admire artist like Sze’s ability to create.

Hooking marlins with Hemingway

By Ashley Massotti Anchor Contributor

“The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway is a short novella written in plain text providing an in-depth look at Santiago, an elderly fisherman dragged out to sea. Santiago, once a great fisherman, has gone 84 days without a fish. His friend Manolin, a young boy, is forbidden to accompany him on his “unlucky” ship and he spends his days sailing alone judged by the other fisherman.

From the beginning of the novella, Santiago is determined to catch a large fish. He refuses to settle for a smaller catch, and seems determined to break his spell of bad luck. The boy is the only person to have faith him,

recalling a previous bad luck streak of 87 days. On the 85th day, the old man sets out alone and his adventure to conquer a great marlin begins.

At 127 pages long, Hemingway’s novella takes relatively little time to read, and the plot of the novel is limited to Santiago’s fishing conquest. However, Hemingway keeps the novella compelling. Although Santiago faces physical hurdles throughout his journey, the novella focuses instead on framing the character and explaining him through the sea. Santiago is constantly speaking to himself, evaluating the ocean surrounding him, and trying to dream of lions in Africa.

The novel does not focus on Santiago finding his “big fish” – that

happens early on. Instead, it focuses on whether or not he can conquer the odds, and the exploration of his soul.

Although little happens plot-wise over the course of the novella, Santiago remains compelling throughout.

Hemingway is clearly worthy of all of the acclaim he has received. His narrative avoids clichés and detailridden descriptions of setting and appearance, yet his novel remains vivid, beautiful and descriptive.

“The Old Man and the Sea” is a quick and enjoyable read that anyone could take their time between classes to enjoy.

Local Events Ice skating in Downtown Providence

Jan. 23 - Mar. 17 Bank of America Skating Center Free

One of the most exciting and popular winter events in Providence is back for all to enjoy. Ice skating at the Bank of America Skating Center during the winter months can be charming date for you and that special someone.

Mary Poppins: The Musical Feb. 8-19 Providence Performing Arts Center $43-78 The beloved Disney film comes to life in a Broadway style sure to entertain audiences everywhere! With new songs added to the same fantastic story, audiences of all ages are invited to witness this once-in a-lifetime show!

For your entertainment

February 13, 2012

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The game that dreams are made of reason I’m surprised I missed this game is because of its heavy attention to story. If you’ve been reading this column, you may or may not know that story is the number one thing I look for in video games. “Dreamfall” really delivers on this front. It feels more like an interactive story rather than a game and I love that.

So, to anyone who’s looking for a good story, or loves point-and-click adventure games, then “Dreamfall: The Longest Journey” is the perfect game for you. Great story, fun and likable characters, a bit of clumsy controls, but overall, I highly enjoyed it. Plus, Zoe runs around in her underwear half the time. If that won’t sell you on it, I’m at a loss.

www.Gamespy.com

go on forever. I personally don’t mind it because the story and the characters are so engaging, but when you need to head out for dinner or get to class, the lengthy scenes can be a little annoying.

As for gameplay, the majority of the game is just walking from place to place, talking to characters, and finding items. There are several puzzles throughout the game as well. However, they’re not particularly challenging. To be fair, a couple of them are good, but none of them really give you that “A-ha!” moment.

The fighting isn’t that special either. There are three buttons max that you use when in a fight. From what I understand, fighting was pretty awkward on the PC version, but the console version didn’t give me any problems.

Even so, while technically fine, the fighting aspect still feels awkward. The movements aren’t smooth and even after winning; I don’t feel like I’ve triumphed over anything.

Taking into account when the game was release, the graphics were really well done. Everything looks smooth and colorful and every detail manages to blend in and stand out when appropriate.

The voice-acting really stood out to me. “Dreamfall” must have some of the best voice-acting I’ve ever heard in a game. And from what I can tell, no famous voiceactors or celebrities have been attached to it.

But getting back to my point I made at the beginning, the

Courtesy //

It’s amazing the degree of games I’ve missed. It’s not because they were epically popular, but because they perfectly suited my taste in games, and yet they managed to fall under my radar.

In the fall, I came across

By Robert Lefebvre “Dreamfall: The Longest JourRob’s Game Shelf ney.” It was released in 2006

by Funcom for the PC and the Xbox. It was later released on the Xbox Marketplace in early 2008. It is the sequel to the PC game “The Longest Journey”. While the two games are connected, you don’t need to play the first one to understand what is happening here.

“Dreamfall” tells the story of Zoe Castillo, a college student who learns her reporter ex-boyfriend went missing working on a story involving a multi-billion dollar company. Fearing the worst, she traces his steps in his investigation and uncovers a conspiracy by the company to release an untested product publicly.

She winds up caught in the conspiracy herself, revealing it takes her to a parallel dimension where she winds up in the middle of a war. Zoe must find a way to survive and expose the company before the device is released.

The game is actually a point-and-click adventure. You walk around, interact with characters, find and collect items and occasionally solve a puzzle. There’s a fighting mechanic for when you do have to take on enemies, but you mainly sit back and watch the story play out before you.

I understand why some people may not like the concept of point and click games. But for what it’s worth, the story is very well done. It moves steadily forward and made me want to know what’s going to happen next.

The one downside is that some of the cut scenes can

FLCL: The crack of anime This week, I decided to watch and review, Furi Kuri (or Fooly Cooly in English).

I think this is some kind of punishment for past sins set up by my subconscious. Now that isn’t because I didn’t find the anime entertaining or

By Christian DeCataldo good. No not at all, quite the Christian’s Anime Corner opposite in fact. The reason I find myself troubled is that I have been burdened with writing a comprehendible review of Fooly Cooly. You see, this anime is about as easy to follow as Sonic on crack.

Seriously in my first watch-through I raised an eyebrow so high it broke a ceiling fan.

I think I’ll start off by summarizing Fooly Cooly in the same fashion as I was able to absorb it prior to… well, complete insanity: Kid walking! Giant iron! Moped-toface! Pink hair! Guitar! Hot! Hot! Hot! Forehead Robot!

Fight! Television head! Big lips! Moved in! In a towel on

your crotch! Hot! Hot! Hot! Bigger forehead robot! Iron the town! Fight! Get a crush! Robot with panties! Head spider! Glasses! Jealous dad with guns! Fight! Enormous eyebrows! Cut bullets! Gun-guitar! Robot dog!

Explosion! Fly around! Dual-wield guitars! Hug! Flying moped! End credits! This is not filler for this column; everything up there is flawlessly crammed into the six episode Fooly Cooly OVA. Now let me try to explain better what is going on.

Fooly Cooly follows twelve-year-old Naota Nandaba (boy) and his interactions with the unbelievably strange (because there is really no other way to describe her) Haruko Haruhara who is from… space. Haruko is looking for the Pirate King Atomsk and uses Naota’s head as a portal to try and summon Atomsk so she can eat him. Prior to Atomsk coming out of Naota’s head-portal in the final episode a whole bunch of other… things, spawn from him and cause all sorts of problems which Haruko and Naota must resolve… or make worse. That is as much of a plot as I can come up with at this point; apparently it gets more comprehendible if you watch it a second or third time.

Fooly Cooly is well worth any amount of time you spend on it. I can’t really do it justice in a review format because of the sheer volume of lunacy that goes on. Most anime tend to draw events out to make the series longer, they have complex flashbacks or time-consuming standoffs that seldom move the plot. Fooly Cooly crams more into six episodes than most anime do in a hundred. It is quite brilliant actually because it also, quite seamlessly, combines action, comedy, and romance. I… I don’t think it actually has any flaws… wow, a sparkling review… who would have thought?

February 13, 2012

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February 13, 2012

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Under the Radar

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Noah and the Whale Sick of skipping the playlist tracks on your iPod because every song by the artist sounds the same? Well, Noah and the Whale is one band that doesn’t have this issue. One track, such as “Give It All Back,” features an almost “beachy” sound with a combination of a mellow Xylophone paired with a more intense sounding guitar.

The next, may feature a curios up-beat tempo put to a piano and paired with background female vocalists, such as in the song, “Tonight’s The Kind of Night.”

Most of their songs seem to start of simple and relaxing, but then built into an intense moment. Like if they were used in a movie, for example, the climax of the song would feature a long awaited kiss from the main characters. Their most popular song, “5 Years Time,” however, seems to break this rule, keeping the same consistent

playful beat throughout the track.

I also feel the song, “5 Years Time,” doesn’t do the band any justice. The talent of the lead singer seems hidden and their variety in harmonies is dull compared to the other tracks. Lead singer sounds similar to the popular band Phoenix with a London accent, but the harmonies sound completely different.

Noah and the Whale, an English indie folk band from, London, England formed in 2006. The band consists of Charlie Fink, who is the vocalist, guitarist, and plays the ukulele and mandolin. Tom Hobden plays the fiddle and the keys, Matt “Urby Whale” Owens is the bass guitarist, Fred Abbott plays guitar and the keys, and Michael Petulla is the band’s drummer.

The band’s first album released in Sept. 2008, “Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down,” the first of the three they have out. “The First Days of Spring,” released in Oct. 2009, is the bands second album.

Most current is their third and only other album released in March 2011, Last Night on Earth, an album dedicated to creating the story of last night on earth, as explained on their website. The band is currently touring throughout Europe, and won’t be making an appearance in the U.S. any -Katelyn Hurd time soon.

Upcoming Concerts

Peter Frampton Zeitrtion Performing Arts Center Tuesday, Feb. 14, 8 p.m. $49- $75

R3HAB

Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel

Tuesday, Feb. 14 9 p.m. $20

Bad Larry The Met

Friday, Feb. 17 $10

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Coming Soon to Theaters Friday, Feb. 17

“Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance ”

Starring: Nicholas Cage Everyone’s favorite motorcycle riding, badass flaming skull demon-hunter is back; although his self-esteem may be a little lower. Former stuntman Johnny Blaze finds himself in solitude after believing that turning into a raging demon is a bad thing. However, when a divine stranger asks Blaze to help a family being pursued by the Devil, Ghost Rider puts his brooding aside and comes back…with a vengeance.

Rated: PG-13(Action and violence, Disturbing Images, Language) Courtesy // reviewstl.com

“The Secret World of Arrietty”

From the brilliant minds that brought upon “Spirited Away,” “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “Howl’s Moving Castle” comes yet another imaginative film from Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi.

“The Secret World” is about the story of a secret civilization of miniature people known as “burrowers” that live under floorboards and burrow supplies from the bigger people. One unique borrower girl named Arrietty one day is discov-

ered by a human boy, and the worlds of big and little soon clash in remarkable ways.

Rated: G

Courtesy // wired.com

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Wake up call Sometimes a loss can be a blessing in disguise. That is what the Rhode Island College women’s basketball team hopes will happen, coming off their first Little East Conference loss of the season,

By Dan Charest 72-68, at Southern Maine Anchor Sports Writer last Saturday. The loss also snapped a program-record 17 game win streak that dates back to Dec. 3.

“It was definitely a postseason atmosphere,” said RIC head coach Marcus Reilly. “Southern Maine is a very good team in their gym. We certainly could have exhibited more composure. We have to do these things on the road in the postseason at some point.”

RIC came out aggressive, maybe a bit too aggressive. The Anchorwomen trailed 7-5, 3:26 into the contest when senior forward Rachel Riley picked up her third foul. “It was very frustrating,” said Riley. “It was tough watching my teammates but I was just trying to provide high energy off the bench.”

A rotation comprised of junior forward Mel Cline and freshman guard Katie Donovan filled in for the missing Riley for the remainder of the half. Junior forward Courtney Burns tied up the contest at 18 with 5:35 left.

The Huskies then went on a 10-2 run over the next 3:40.

Senior guard Stephanie Coro hit a 3-pointer just before the break to pull RIC back within five, 28-23.

Southern Maine pulled away early in the second, courtesy of four straight 3-pointers, including three by senior Nicole Garland. Garland finished with a career-high 26 points on senior night. “We had defensive breakdowns and any good team will make us pay. Nicole Garland is one of the best shooters in the country and when she finds daylight, she’ll make them,” said coach Reilly.

With Riley re-entering the game in the second half, the crowd finally got to see one of the conference’s premier matchups between Riley, the preseason LEC player

of the year, and USM’s Courtney Cochran, the LEC’s leading scorer and rebounder.

“Playing against Courtney (Cochran) is very physical. It’s one of my favorite games playing against a competitive post player,” said Riley, who finished with 11 points and 8 boards compared to Cochran, who had 20 points and 16 rebounds.

Another Garland 3-pointer put Southern Maine up 53-37, with 11:04 left, but the Anchorwomen fought back, cutting the lead down to six points on several occasions, but were RIC senior guard Cynthia Gaudet puts up a jumper in the lane during a recent game. never able to get any closer after missing “I’m absolutely looking forward to playing Southern some easy buckets down the stretch. Senior guard Cyn- Maine again. Next time we’ll be at our home gym and we thia Gaudet buried a late 3-pointer, but it was just too are taking no prisoners,” said Rachel Riley. little too late as the Anchorwomen fell to the Huskies, The Anchorwomen have to get through home match72-68. ups with Western Connecticut State University (15-8, Gaudet ended the day with 22 points and 6 steals. 7-5) on Tuesday, Feb. 14 and Keene State College (15-6, Coro finished with 14 points and Burns had 12 points 9-3) on Saturday, Feb. 18, needing just one win to clinch and five rebounds in 38 minutes. RIC’s stellar defense the first seed and home court advantage throughout the was good on Saturday, forcing 20 turnovers and holding LEC Tournament, which is slated to begin on Tuesday, USM to a reasonable 38 percent shooting. The difference Feb. 21. was that RIC turned the ball over 19 times and USM was “Our goal is to win the conference,” said Marcus Reilly.

24-for-29 from the free throw line. However, a rematch “It’s not supposed to be easy and we are ready to embrace could be on the horizon in the LEC Tournament. the challenge.”

Anchor Photo // Sarah Gilpatrick

Loss to Southern Maine snaps program-record 17-game win streak

Sports

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Choice, Akinrola hold off Huskies late rally Senior forward Mason Choice and classmate center Mike Akinrola combined for 45 points, as the Rhode Island College men’s basketball team defeated the University of Southern Maine 77-65 last Saturday.

Choice scored a team-high 23 points, going 10-for-16 from the field, while Akinrola finished with 22 points on 10-for-19 shooting. Both senior standouts also finished

By George Bissell with eight rebounds in the victory. Junior guard Ethan Editor-in-Chief Gaye added nine points, while classmate guard Tahrike Carter chipped in with seven points and nine assists.

Southern Maine sophomore guard Brandon Tomah headlined a pack of four Huskies in double figures with a team-high 19 points on 7-for-14 shooting. Senior forward Jeremy Jackson added 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds while junior guard Alex Kee and sophomore guard Conor Sullivan scored 12 and 10 points respectively.

With the victory, the Anchormen improved to 18-5 overall and 8-4 in the Little East Conference this season. RIC remains in sole possession of fourth place in the conference with two regular season games left to play. With the loss, Southern Maine fell to 10-12 overall and just 3-9 in conference play this season.

RIC held a commanding 20-point lead, 56-36, over Southern Maine with just under 16 minutes remaining in the contest, before the Huskies, led by a 13-point outburst from Tomah (5-for-5 from the field including a pair of 3-pointers) battled back with a 22-8 run over the next 10-minutes to pull within four points, 62-58, with 5:42 remaining.

In the final five minutes, it was free throw shooting, an area of weakness for the club coming into the contest, which allowed the Anchormen to hang on for the victory. The Anchormen, who are shooting just 66% from the charity stripe as a team this season, knocked down 9-of-12 attempts in the final minutes to hang on for the 77-65 victory.

RIC will be back in action when they host LEC rival Western Connecticut State University (19-4, 9-3 LEC) in the Murray Center on Tuesday, Feb. 20. With a victory, the Anchormen will pull into a three-way tie for second place in the conference with both Western Connecticut State and Eastern Connecticut State University (18-5, 9-3 LEC).

A loss to the Colonials means that the Anchormen can finish no higher than third-place in the conference standings no matter what happens on Saturday, Feb. 18 against first place Keene State College. A loss to the Colonials also means that the Anchormen will not receive a first-round bye in the upcoming LEC Tournament, which is slated to begin on Feb. 21.

Anchor Photo // Stephanie Jobin

RIC gears up for second-place grudge-match against WESTCONN

RIC

senior forward

Mason Choice

scored a team-high against

23 points Southern Maine.

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Anchorwomen take 4th in Bulldog Invitational Despite season highs from senior Kate Bachelder, junior Melanie Goes and freshman Cory Bridges the Rhode Island College gymnastics team came in fourth in the Bulldog

By Jack Adamo Invitational hosted by Yale Anchor Sports Editor University. Bachelder’s career high 34.375 in the all-around highlighted the day for the Anchorwomen.

Yale University was the only division one team present at the meet but it was division two University of Bridgeport who took home the team win with a score of 193.075. Yale came in second while division three Springfield College came in this the third place. Rhode Island College posted a team score of 170.700 in their fourth place finish marking their second highest team total on the season.

Bachelder’s career-high in the all-around competition was highlighted by an impressive season high on her floor routine as she posted 8.950. She also put up numbers of 8.700 on vault, 8.450 on beam and 8.275 on bars. The senior co-captain is the only member on the team who has competed in every event at every meet this season.

Senior co-captain Sarah Chrane was the only Anchorwomen to outscore Bachelder in the floor event as she

posted a 9.150. Chrane also lead the team in her only other event with a 9.000 score on beam for the fifth straight meet.

The rest of the Anchorwomen’s high points were posted by freshman. Cory Bridges led the way on bars with a score of 9.050 while Mary Ocel finished the allaround with a score of 31.975. Ocel led the team on vault with a 9.075 and followed that up with scores of 8.300, 7.000, and 7.600 on bars, beam and floor respectively. The meet marked Ocel’s second time in her collegiate career competing in the all-around.

“We fixed a lot of mistakes over the past two weeks,” said Bachelder. “But we had also had a few injuries this week that hurt us.”

Injuries certainly hurt the team with senior co-captain Angela Gargano on crutches with a knee issue, sophomore Courtney Mailloux suffering an injury at the meet and Bridges still not running at full potential. “Hopefully we can put all the pieces together in time for ECAC’s in a few weeks,” said Bachelder.

The Anchorwomen hit the road again for a slightly longer trip than the one to New Haven when they compete at the Ithaca College Invitational this weekend. The winless Anchorwomen will not have a chance to record a team victory in head to head competition until the following weekend when they travel to West Chester University for a meet.

HOCKEY

Lowrey from the right slot to put the Anchormen from page up 5-1 in the opening minutes of the third period. WPI junior forward Nick Long scored to make it 5-2 before the Anchormen closed out the scoring on a one-timer by freshman forward Anthony Sawaia, with an excellent feed from senior forward Rick Enos.

The Anchormen are peaking at the right time heading into the playoffs and finally have their most talented offensive threat, Dicomitis, back in the lineup after missing most of the semester with a concussion. If the Anchormen knock off Springfield, they will ship up to New Hampshire to defend their NECHA title.

“To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best,” said RIC assistant coach Anthony “Cal” Calcione.

“The playoffs still run through us, we still hold the trophy,” added Gouin.

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Sports

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CKS I P K QUICQUESTIONS

sports@anchorweb.org

O ADAM JACK Editor s Sport

LL BISSE E G R GEO in-Chief r-

Edito

st iter an Chare iter AM ALLEN iter ark s Wr s Wr t t AJ Cl Sports Wr D S r r o o p p S S chor chor chor An

An

An

Where will men’s basketball finish in the LEC regular season standings?

FOURTH They turn it on in the playoffs

FOURTH Two tough matchups left

SECOND Have to win out though

THIRD Good spot for LEC’s

THIRD Threes my lucky number

Will women’s basketball sweep Keene State and Western Connecticut this week?

YES They’re pissed they lost to Southern Maine

YES 9-0 in the Murray this season

YES They’re too good at home

YES One loss in the LEC is enough

YES Back on track

How far does RIC hockey make it in the Playoffs? Quarters? Semis? Finals? CHAMPS?

CHAMPIONS #RoadToTheThreePeat

CHAMPIONS #DontWatchMeWatchAnchorTV

SEMIS Sorry to say guys

FINALS Two wins then a loss

CHAMPIONS Three peat Hello!

OVER/UNDER: Jeremy Lin avg. 26 points this week

UNDER He can’t keep this up

OVER Easy schedule #LINSANITY

UNDER Finally gets contained

OVER I’m all for #LINSANITY

OVER No more than 30 though

16-13

18-11

15-14

12-6

16-13

Career Record

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Dicomitis and Isabella light it up

Anchor Photo // David Okon

Anchormen set to host playoff game Tuesday

RIC senior forward Greg Dicomitis breaks away from the WPI defense.

Two of the most decorated seniors in program history, captain forward Greg Dicomitis and defenseman Robert Isabella, scored in in the final regular season game of their historic careers as the Rhode Island College ice hockey team closed out the regular season with a 6-2 win over Worcester Polytechnic Institute on Friday, Feb. 10.

By Sam Allen Dicomitis and Isabella, both members of the Anchor Sports Writer exclusive 100-point club, combined for three special teams’ goals in the contest as the Anchormen (19-8-1 overall, 11-2-1 Colonial South) locked up second place in the Colonial South Conference. The two-time defending NECHA champions will host a playoff game for the first time in program history when the Anchormen take on division-rival Springfield College at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket on Tuesday, Feb. 14.

“We’re feeling good about playoffs,” said RIC head coach Chris Gouin. “The boys have a strong sense of confidence without a sense of accomplishment.”

The Engineers did not have much to play for against the Anchormen, having already locked up the Colonial North Conference title, but were looking to avenge a 5-4 loss to the Anchormen from earlier this season. However, the red-hot Anchormen, who are 6-1 since Jan. 20, got the better of the Engineers once again.

WPI got onto the board first with a power play goal from senior forward Scott Brady, his 13th goal of the season, before the Anchormen responded on a power play goal of their own from junior forward Brett Morra. Morra appeared to have beaten WPI freshman netminder Jeremy Lowrey with a wrist shot from the slot, but it ricocheted off the crossbar and back out. Seconds later Morra got his redemption, scoring from nearly the same position in the slot.

With just 12 second left in the period, Isabella poked the puck loose near the Anchormen’s blue line and scored on a shorthanded breakaway, his 10th goal of the season, to put RIC up 2-1 at the end of the first period.

The Anchormen killed off a 5-on-3 power play to start off the second period keeping WPI off the board, while getting a shorthanded goal for Dicomitis, his team-leading 34th goal of the season. Isabella capped off the period with his second goal of the game, on the power play, to give the Anchormen a 4-1 lead at the end of two periods.

Hard-hitting junior defenseman Cody Warnock took a feed from sophomore goaltender Mark Bushy and blasted a slap shot past see page

HOCKEY

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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Kate Bachelder Senior, Gymnastics

Bachelder posted a career-high 34.367 in the all-around at the Bulldog Invitational hosted by Yale this weekend. The senior co-captain highlighted her day with 8.950 in the floor event, which also serves as her season high.

“It was the first meet of the season where things started to come together and I was pretty happy with the results but I know there’s still work to do.”